16 top travel hacks for planning travel

It’s time to hack your life with travel hacks from Cover-More Travel Insurance. We’ve been around the globe and back again to bring you the smartest travel tips on travel planning.

Travel hacks for planning travel

Save time when planning travel by creating a travel binder with all of your details ahead of time. Organizing all of your documents will help you budget for travel, and actually stick to your travel budget. The key to budget travelling is to make sure your travel budget is complete. You don’t need any unhappy surprises abroad.

Scan your passport, ID, itinerary and other important documents and email them to yourself. Having a digital copy is smart in the event your belongings are lost or stolen. Make sure to open the email before leaving to ensure all of your information is there. Take screenshots or iPhone users can save these documents to iBooks so they can be accessed offline, which may come in especially handy if you are stopped at Customs.

Track SmarTraveller to make sure the country you are visiting is safe. Also use this website to verify which countries require special visas and which you need vaccinations to visit. (Did you know, there are still countries you need the polio vaccination to visit? Don’t be caught off guard when you get there.)

Call your credit or debit card company before departing internationally so you are authorized to spend on holiday.

Work a schedule out with your employer far in advance. You don’t need to quit your job to travel the world. Companies are often much more lenient with travel if you notify them ahead of time and make provisions to complete all of your work ahead of schedule.

Travel hacks for booking transportation

When booking flights online, clear your cookies and enable private browsing. Travel sites might be tracking your visits and may raise the price simply because you have visited before. If budget travel is your goal, read our article on the hidden costs of budget air travel to arm yourself with knowledge about the industry.

Book your flight between one and three months out from your travel date and try to purchase the ticket on a Tuesday. Booking too close to the flight date (two weeks out or sooner) or too far out (more than six months) has been proven to cost you more.

Avoid flight cancellations due to bad weather by booking a morning flight. Flights have a domino effect, so once one is cancelled it can set back flights throughout the day. Be the first at the airport and reduce the risk of cancellation.

Consider different means of travel if you have pre-existing medical conditions or are concerned about DVT on long haul flights. DVT, or deep vein thrombosis, is a form of blood clotting that comes from sitting still too long. Some factors that may heighten your risk for DVT include age, obesity, pregnancy and smoking.

Check your credit cards for perks before you book anything. Some credit cards offer deals on rental car fees, room rates or travel insurance (though you should know these aren’t always as good as they seem). Also, when choosing which credit card to take abroad, look into all your featured benefits. Different cards offer different benefits, so make sure you understand the nuances of each.

If you are taking a caravanning holiday, consider the different options—from cars to motorhomes to trailers to caravans—know which is right for you. Read our tips for taking a caravanning holiday to see our road trip checklist.

Travel hacks for booking cruises and hotels

Consider all the different factors of a cruise holiday before booking your ticket. Where do you want to go? How much planning do you want to do? What atmosphere do you want on your boat? There are plenty of choices when thinking about cruising. Follow our tips to help you choose the right cruise for more detailed travel hacks for choosing a cruise you will love.

We hate to break it to you, but there are plenty of things that could go wrong on your next cruise, so remember cruise travel insurance — it’s a special policy that protects you at sea.

Instead of booking a hotel, look into reserving a home or booking a single room. Check out AirBnB or Couchsurfing, which help travellers meet with locals to arrange accommodations.

If you are travelling alone, consider staying in a hostel. These offer great opportunities to socialize with other travellers and are often cheap and centrally-located. Take a look at our list of top-notch hostels in Europe to get started on choosing the hostel that is right for you.

Travel hacks for travel insurance

Booking travel insurance is a necessity, no matter where you go. An accident abroad can fun holiday into an expense you are paying off the rest of your life. Travel insurance is a small investment that often has big benefits. Learn more about travel insurance on our cover page.

Read our other articles in the Top Travel Hacks series to make planning your next trip easy and enjoyable.